Baduy people demand Sunda Wiwitan acknowledged as religion

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Tue, 11/29/2011 9:58 PM


The Baduy people in Lebak subdistrict, Banten, have called on the government to acknowledge their religion, Sunda Wiwitan, by allowing them to put it on their ID cards.

“We hope that the government will acknowledge our religion, Sunda Wiwitan,” Baduy community leader Dainah said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

Indonesia only acknowledges six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Dainah said that the Baduy community members were disappointed when the Lebak administration did not allow them to put Sunda Religion on their ID cards, saying that it would be illegal.

“We are also Indonesians. We should have the same rights as other Indonesians,” he said.

According to Dainah, the government once allowed them to put their religion on ID cards from 1972 to 2010. Since then, Baduy people had been leaving the religion column on their ID cards empty.

Of 2,830 Baduy families only a few had ID cards because of the inconvenience, Dainah said.

Dainah said that 130 people had processed ID cards this year, up from 20 people last year.

He said most Baduy people, who clung to traditional and tribal values, thought ID cards were unimportant.